Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

At the February and March meetings, the Foreign Affairs Council also reviewed recent developments in Iraq, which occupies a pivotal position in the region. The political and security situation in Iraq is a cause for serious concern, with growing signs of sectarian tension and high levels of violence. The April Council will adopt conclusions urging greater efforts at dialogue and cross-community co-operation on the part of all parties in Iraq and also supporting increased political dialogue between the EU and Iraq.

High Representative Ashton is likely to brief us at next week's meeting on the most recent round of negotiations between the E3+3 and Iran, which took place in Almaty in Kazakhstan on 5 and 6 April. The overall level of progress made on this issue so far has been disappointing. Substantial differences remain between the E3+3 and Iran over the steps the Iranians must take to address our very serious concerns about the country's nuclear programme. No date has yet been set for the next round of talks. The reality is that the window for making progress is closing rapidly as the presidential elections in Iran, scheduled for June, draw ever nearer.

As I indicated earlier, the horrendous situation in Syria has dominated the Council's proceedings in recent months. It has been discussed at our three meetings so far this year as well as at the informal Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting that I co-hosted at Dublin Castle last month.

Next Monday's Council will give us an opportunity to review developments since the Dublin meeting and continue our reflection on how the European Union can most effectively contribute to promoting a political settlement. The scale of the humanitarian crisis raging in Syria and across the neighbouring region was brought home vividly to me when I visited a Syrian refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border during my visit to Turkey last week. Over 70,000 people have died, more than 1.3 million are now refugees and over 4 million in Syria need humanitarian assistance.

Ireland and the European Union have been to the fore in responding to this major humanitarian crisis. I was pleased to announce last week that Ireland was providing a further €1 million in assistance for the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNHCR operations in Turkey. This brings our total aid in the past year to €8.15 million. The generous and humane manner in which Syria's neighbours, particularly Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, have dealt with the huge outflow of refugees from Syria must be acknowledged repeatedly. The crisis is imposing major strain on hard-pressed resources and the ability of these countries to cope. It underlines the urgent need for progress in ending the violence and putting some form of political process in place to set Syria on the path to political transition.

The European Union wants to promote the earliest possible political settlement in Syria. All member states strongly support the efforts of the joint special representative, Lakhdar Brahimi, to find a political path forward based on the communiqué agreed in Geneva last June. Further violence would add to the misery and suffering in Syria and increase the real danger, emphasised by Mr. Brahimi when the Council met him last month, that Syria could collapse and possibly become a failed state in a highly volatile region. Discussions are continuing at Council level on how the European Union can most effectively promote a political solution and use its considerable influence in that direction. In February we renewed the full range of EU sanctions in place against the Assad regime in Syria for a period of three months. A further decision on their renewal will be taken at the May Council.

I have made clear on a number of occasions that Ireland does not favour any action which could contribute to greater militarisation of the conflict. This will continue to be our position. There can be little doubt about the growing influence of extremist groups on the ground in Syria. It is in all of our interests that the capacity in Syria for armed violence should not be augmented. Instead, we should work to promote the earliest possible end to the conflict and the initiation of a political transition. The UN Security Council can play a decisive role in supporting Mr. Brahimi's efforts and promoting a political settlement. Accordingly, I urge all Council members to exercise responsibility and leadership by adopting a strong new resolution that will address issues such as a comprehensive arms embargo and the need for accountability. Ireland firmly supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to investigate comprehensively any possible use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The threat that the conflict in Syria poses to overall regional stability and security is abundantly clear. Lebanon has been hugely affected by the influx of some 300,000 Syrian refugees and outbursts of related violence in northern Lebanon. Next week the Council is likely to review developments in that country following the resignation of the former Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Tammam Salam. We must ensure Lebanon which has suffered for too long from being in Syria's shadow can avoid being drawn directly into the conflict.

Mali has been a high priority on the Council's agenda since the crisis there began in March 2012. It was the subject of an extraordinary meeting on 17 January. It was also discussed at the scheduled meetings in January, February and March and at the informal meetings of EU Development and Defence Ministers held in Dublin in February. The response of the international community to the crisis has been strong and unified. The European Union has played a significant role in addressing the political, security, developmental and economic aspects of the crisis. It has been working to support the efforts of Mali's leaders and its people, in close co-ordination with regional partners and within the framework set out in a number of UN Security Council resolutions. A political transition roadmap, including a timetable for elections and a process of national reconciliation, is now in place. Our priority is to see the commitments made by the Malian parties fully implemented in order that Mali can return to peace and democracy quickly. If this is to happen, the security situation must be stabilised. This is being addressed through a combination of UN-backed international military interventions. The Malian armed forces, supported by an African-led mission, AFISMA, are at the heart of this effort. The European Union has established a training mission to train the Malian army in areas such as human rights and international humanitarian law. Ireland is contributing eight personnel to that effort. The European Union is also providing support for AFISMA. The European Union decided during this quarter to resume development co-operation with Mali on a gradual basis to support the transition process, preparations for elections and the restoration of essential services. The European Union's comprehensive approach spans the various transnational issues across the Sahel region. It also features a strong response to the humanitarian needs of the people of Mali and neighbouring regions and emphasises the need to protect human rights.

Somalia is another African country that has been the subject of regular Council discussion. The case of Somalia shows us how dangerous it can be when a state fails, as Somalia did in the early 1990s. Such failure can threaten peace and security in the region and the wider world, for example, by facilitating the growth and spread of terrorism, piracy and criminality. More positively, recent progress in Somalia shows that co-ordinated and comprehensive support and engagement from the international community, led in this case by the United Nations and the African Union and supported by the European Union and its member states, can help to end conflict, confront terrorism, criminality and human rights abuses and restore functioning governance institutions and service delivery.

After 20 years of anarchy and lawlessness, Somalia now has a unified national government, a President, a parliament and the basic structures of a state administration. The European Union has been a significant actor in helping to make this happen through a holistic and comprehensive approach which, as we are seeing in Mali, encompasses the full range of EU instruments. This includes the EU training mission for the Somalian army which has a significant Irish contingent and is commanded by an Irish officer, Brigadier General Gerard Ahern. The situation in Somalia remains fragile. There are real threats from the Al-Shabaab militia, including from terrorism originating outside Somalia. Many Somalian people are still in refugee camps and many more continue to live in unstable and conflict affected areas, particularly in the south of the country. Piracy remains a major challenge. Significant political challenges also remain. The rule of law and acceptable standards of human rights protection are far from being fully assured. A huge amount of work will be needed if Somalia is to become a functioning democracy.

Russia was the subject of a brief discussion at the January Council when the EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, reported on the outcome of the EU-Russia summit held in Brussels on 20 and 21 December 2012. The summit saw positive developments in a number of areas, including technical and research co-operation and commitments on the Russian side to re-examine sensitive trade concerns. Less progress was achieved on the new agreement, energy issues, human rights and the situation in Syria. At the March Council Ministers engaged in a comprehensive discussion of the European Union's strategic relationship with Russia ahead of the discussion at that month's European Council. There was a shared understanding among Ministers on the need to fashion a stronger and more coherent approach to Russia to the benefit of both sides.

It was suggested at the March Council that the relationship with Russia should be neither complacent nor adversarial, given that the European Union is Russia's largest trading partner and Russia is the European Union's largest energy supplier. We work as partners in international forums in the pursuit of peace and security, including on Iran, Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and the Middle East peace process. The relationship is built on a complex institutional framework that enables both sides to engage in regular political dialogue. Russia is the only partner with which the European Union holds a summit in each Presidency. Co-operation has been further enhanced by the partnership for modernisation process which addresses economic and social issues, as well as the rule of law. As in any important relationship, there are issues where our interests and the values that define these interests differ. In March Ministers discussed how best to communicate to Russia in a frank and constructive manner our concerns about worrying developments in respect of political pluralism and human rights in that country.

The eastern neighbourhood policy will be discussed at next Monday's Council. Specifically, the progress made in the eastern partnership negotiations since the discussion in February will be reviewed.

The purpose of the eastern partnership is to provide a coherent framework for co-operation with the six European neighbourhood policy countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. In practical terms the eastern partnership means the conclusion of association agreements, AA, and free trade agreements, DCFTA, with each of the Eastern neighbourhood countries.

We had a comprehensive discussion in January on EU-US relations in the wake of President Obama's re-election and in particular on the priorities the EU should take forward with the new Administration. In this context, the proposed EU-US free trade agreement was identified as a key priority for 2013. I am pleased to report that significant progress has already been achieved with the decision of 13 February last by EU and US leaders to launch negotiations in the coming months. Last month, the European Commission agreed a draft negotiating mandate which is currently being considered by member states and on which we aim to reach agreement by the time of the June (Trade) FAC before the end of Ireland's Presidency. In this regard, both the Taoiseach and I took the opportunity during our recent visit to Washington DC for St. Patrick's Day to reiterate the Government's commitment, as EU Presidency, to work for approval of the negotiating mandate before the end of our Presidency.

Burma-Myanmar has undergone an important and long-awaited transformation in the past 18 months or so. My EU partners and I have been very encouraged by the manner in which the situation has greatly improved and Ireland has always remained ready to respond positively to genuine progress towards democratisation and respect for human rights. We do, however, recognise the need to encourage further reforms and address certain ongoing issues such as the status and welfare of the Rohingya and achieving a ceasefire in Kachin or in relation to political prisoners.

At the Foreign Affairs Council in April last year, my EU colleagues and I decided to suspend all sanctions, bar the arms embargo and the embargo on equipment which might be used for internal repression, against Burma. This decision was the result of protracted and complex negotiations. This suspension applies until 30 April 2013 and, therefore, we need to decide a further way forward at the forthcoming Foreign Affairs Council. It is proposed that the restrictive measures are not renewed after 30 April 2013, with the exception of the arms embargo and the embargo on equipment which might be used for internal repression. Ireland agrees with this proposal.

In recent months, I am pleased to announce that Ireland has accredited its first ambassador to Burma-Myanmar - our ambassador based in Hanoi presented his credentials to President Thein Sein on 28 January. It is expected that the Burma-Myanmar ambassador in London will present credentials to President Higgins later this year. We look forward to working towards developing good foundations for our bilateral relationship with Burma-Myanmar in a balanced way which addresses the need to foster trade and development links.

At the March Council, High Representative Ashton updated us on preparations for the EU Japan summit that had been scheduled to take place in Tokyo on 25 March. We also had a short discussion on the content of the draft joint statement. While the envisaged summit in Tokyo subsequently had to be postponed, it was agreed that the trade negotiations would commence this week.

Last July the European Commission asked the Council for a mandate to negotiate a free trade agreement, FTA, which it estimates has the potential to boost the economy of the EU by about 0.8% of gross domestic product. Ireland welcomes the opening of these negotiations. The aim of the free trade agreement would be a comprehensive agreement in goods, services and investment eliminating tariffs, non-tariff barriers and covering other trade-related issues, such as public procurement, regulatory issues, competition and sustainable development. The Trade Foreign Affairs Council in November 2012 agreed a negotiating mandate for the EU Commission to allow the formal opening of negotiations of an EU-Japan free trade agreement. Allied to these negotiations is that of a framework agreement, sometimes called a comprehensive agreement, which would deal with political dialogue and political co-operation as well as co-operation on regional and global matters.

Next Monday's Foreign Affairs Council meeting will consider the foreign policy dimension of the EU's energy policy, following on from a discussion last July and taking account of the energy security dimension to the High Representative's role. Issues relating to energy sources and supply routes will be a continuing factor in the EU's foreign and security policy so long as global energy demand continues to increase and supply continues to be concentrated in regions afflicted by political instability. The increase in tensions relating to access to the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year and the more recent targeting of the Amenas gas field in Algeria by Islamic militants, bear testimony to this.

I expect the discussion on Monday to focus specifically on issues relating to the Southern Gas Corridor, a strategic project to open a new gas supply route from the Caspian Sea area to the EU. This area holds the largest concentration of conventional gas resources, and could create an alternative to Russia gas imports to the EU. As a small peripheral European energy market it is of crucial importance for Ireland that the EU has a strong and co-ordinated policy on energy which safeguards supplies for all member states.

While not on the agenda of Monday's Foreign Affairs Council, it is my intention to bring to the attention of EU Foreign Ministers the important messages which emerged from this week's conference on hunger, nutrition and climate justice, which I hosted together with Mary Robinson. The Conference brought together representatives of communities facing the realities of rising food prices, failed crops and under-nutrition with global leaders, policy makers and scientists. We must ensure that our future policy approaches are firmly rooted in the reality of lives and in objective evidence of what has worked and what has not.

I would be happy to address any questions the committee might have.